Romans 6:12-23 (NRSV)
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Verse 12Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. Verse 13No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. Verse 14For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Verse 15What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Verse 16Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? Verse 17But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, Verse 18and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. Verse 19I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. Verse 20When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Verse 21So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. Verse 22But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. Verse 23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Devotion
"What then? Should we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? By no means!" (v. 15)
In this verse, Paul puts his finger on the scandal of grace: if God really does extend forgiveness to us no matter what, why shouldn't we do whatever we please knowing that all will be forgiven? If the threat of punishment for lawlessness and the promise of reward for keeping the law have been removed, what incentive is there to live as God has called us to live?
Well, none, I guess. But that's the beauty of it. God loves us, period. God desires to be in relationship with us, period. There is no threat. There is no caveat. Just unrestrained, unmeasured love expressed through God's grace and mercy.
When we dare to trust God's grace, we cannot help but be transformed. "Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!" Love like this changes everything and has the power to call forth faithful, albeit imperfect, response from us. We are not required to live as God has called us to live. We are freed to live in the light of grace!
Prayer
Merciful and Gracious God, your love and grace are without limit. Forgive our limited response. Inspire and empower us to live our lives in grateful response to the gift of grace you have so freely given. Amen.